TCAC is the Registered Aboriginal Party that represents the Taungurung people of central Victoria. TCAC was registered on 16 July 2009. TCAC is responsible for making key decisions about cultural heritage protection and management under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.

[In May 2015 TCAC and the Victorian State government] commenced formal and historic negotiations to recognise the Taungurung People’s rights over Crown land in parts of central Victoria.

This is the first time the Victorian Government and a traditional owner group have worked together to resolve native title exclusively outside of the Federal Court’s claims process.

The proposed settlement area takes in parts of central Victoria, including towns such as Heathcote, Seymour, Euroa, Mansfield, Mt Buller, Marysville and Yea.

The Government is working to recognise the Taungurung People’s rights over certain Crown land under Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 – the only state legislation of its kind in Australia.

Acknowledging the difficult nature of litigation under the Commonwealth Native Title Act 1993, the former Labor Government introduced the Act as an alternative way to recognise the rights of Victorian traditional owners.

The Act allows the government and traditional owner groups to agree to out-of-court native title settlements, avoiding costly court processes while achieving a final settlement of the State’s compensation liabilities.

It recognises traditional owners’ rights regarding access to, ownership or management of public land, as well as rights regarding the use and development of the land or its natural resources.

The Taungurung traditional owner group will be the first to negotiate a settlement directly with the Victorian Government without first having made a native title claim federally.

Our vision for the future as traditional owners is to engage with our culture, on country, in a meaningful capacity that includes the possibility of ongoing employment and economic sustainability directly linked to the protection and management of our cultural heritage.